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L-yes Offline
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Post: #1
 
MWC still trying to lock up Liberty Bowl
By Rory Brunner, U-WIRE
August 9, 2005

(U-WIRE) SAN DIEGO -- For the first time since the Bowl Championship Series cartel was formed, a team from a non-BCS school -- the Mountain West Conference's Utah Utes -- sent a non-BCS team to the party.

So why can't the MWC lock down its own annual marquee postseason destination, the Liberty Bowl?

With Utah happily accepting the Fiesta Bowl invitation after last season, the Liberty Bowl committee opted for a game of unbeatens featuring Conference USA's Louisville vs. the Western Athletic Conference's Boise State, a game that was an instant classic and a 44-40 Cardinals win. But the game also marked the end of the MWC's agreement with the Liberty Bowl.

So as of now, for 2005, the MWC will send its No. 1 team to the Las Vegas Bowl to play the Pac-10's No. 5 team. That's right, the same Las Vegas Bowl in which Wyoming topped UCLA a season ago -- hardly the same buzz the BCS matchup Pitt-Utah generated.

Commissioner Craig Thompson said the MWC had a 25 percent chance of regaining the Liberty Bowl at the conference's media day, a game that had long been the MWC's and Conference USA's answer to the BCS. From 1998-2003, the MWC winner met up with Conference USA's winner, with the MWC going 2-4 in those games.

The Liberty Bowl wanted to re-up with the MWC seven months ago for a long-term deal, but the MWC wanted just a one-year deal and the freedom to see what was out there.

The conference took a shot at getting the Phoenix-area Insight Bowl, hence staying closer to home, but the Insight Bowl opted for a Big Ten representative starting in 2006 instead.

Meanwhile, without a representative for the upcoming season, the Liberty Bowl committee was exploring its options. But now in July, the MWC wanted a long-term deal with the Liberty Bowl, but the Liberty Bowl wasn't having it, at least not yet. The Liberty Bowl may go after the ACC No. 6 or 7 or the SEC No. 7. After all, East Coast teams will travel better. Bigger conferences and bigger universities mean bigger dollar signs for the Memphis-based New Year's Eve bowl.

Partly to blame, Thompson noted, is the turnover of MWC athletic directors (six in the last 18 months) and university presidents (five new in the last 18 months).

Greed is also to blame. Just seven months ago and riding the BCS wave created by the Utes, the conference figured it deserved a better deal closer to home, but it secured nothing. After all, a shaken-up Conference USA -- now featuring SMU, Tulsa, Marshall, Rice, UTEP, Central Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, Tulane, UAB, Southern Miss and Houston -- lost a few marquee teams to the Big East, Louisville among them.

The MWC also has to worry about its on-the-field play in a league that is more veteran in 2005.

"This league is so balanced and so deep that any team can beat any other on any given Saturday," said Thompson. "It does wonders to develop a league with that quality of depth."

UNLV coach Mike Sanford was one of many coaches that agreed.

"There's a good chance the winner of this conference could have two losses. It will be really difficult for a team to go through this conference like Utah did last year," said Sanford, who compared the MWC to some of its rival conferences. "I believe we're above Conference USA and, personally, I think we're above the Big East."


Regardless, Thompson said he would like to see the Liberty Bowl issue resolved before the beginning of the season.

Any way you look at it, the MWC will get its teams to bowls. The MWC could still be involved in five bowl games, with potentially the Liberty Bowl, the San Francisco-based Emerald Bowl, the new Poinsettia Bowl (which pits an MWC team against an at-large team in San Diego), the Las Vegas Bowl and the MWC has reached a verbal agreement with the Fort Worth Bowl that if the Big 12 can't offer an eighth team, which it hasn't the past two years, that the MWC would get looked at there as well.

But another potential problem arises there. Say Colorado State has already taken a trip to Fort Worth to play TCU, which it will do on Nov. 5. So the postseason rolls around and CSU is bowl eligible for that game. Will the Fort Worth Bowl want to invite the boys from Fort Collins for a second time? Would the Rams travel well?

That is to say that enough MWC teams qualify for the postseason, or finish with a winning record, which hasn't always been the case.

But as Thompson said, "As Utah showed, you can get to a BCS bowl in the Mountain West Conference."

Just win all your games -- something MWC coaches agree will be a tall task in 2005.

Updated on Tuesday, Aug 9, 2005 9:00 pm EDT
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08-10-2005 08:03 AM
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Maize Offline
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Post: #2
 
Quote:UNLV coach Mike Sanford was one of many coaches that agreed.

"There's a good chance the winner of this conference could have two losses. It will be really difficult for a team to go through this conference like Utah did last year," said Sanford, who compared the MWC to some of its rival conferences. "I believe we're above Conference USA and, personally, I think we're above the Big East."

I believe your conference only had 3 teams with winning records and Navy is still driving. :rolleyes: :laugh: 04-cheers
08-10-2005 08:09 AM
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cuseroc Offline
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You have to remember that these are the same people that thought they were going to take the bcs from the BE. These are the same people that thought they were going to take some bowls from the BE. So with his comments he has miscalculated the strength of his coference as well as everything else. In other words, these folks are looney. But I have to give them props for telling espn to go fly a kyte and signing with another more obscure TV station.
08-10-2005 08:44 AM
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Bearcat T Offline
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Post: #4
 
I want some of what ever that guy is smoking! haha
08-10-2005 09:52 AM
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99Tiger Offline
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Post: #5
 
The MWC has to be kicking themselves. If they had resigned when the LB wanted, the whole issue with the LB looking at the SEC would be a moot point.

The LB wanted them (and their poor fan attendance) back...and they got greedy. Now they want back in. 05-nono

...although I'd rather see a CUSA-MWC matchup continue in the LB than the alternatives.
08-10-2005 12:15 PM
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cardtopper Offline
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Post: #6
 
Ever heard the story about the little dog who was carrying his bone over a bridge, looked over and saw his reflection....thinking it was another dog carrying a bone, the little dog dropped his bone so he could take what he thought was a bigger bone from his own reflection....Ha Ha, I don't think the powers that be in the MWC have ever heard it. :laugh:
08-10-2005 01:10 PM
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TopCoog Offline
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Post: #7
 
cardtopper...not trying to be argumentative but didn't they have the 3rd ranked team in the nation last year? Did I see them mauling the Big East BCS rep in the Fiesta Bowl or was that just my imagination? Might want to think before you insert the ole foot.
08-10-2005 01:23 PM
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Post: #8
 
TopCoog Wrote:cardtopper...not trying to be argumentative but didn't they have the 3rd ranked team in the nation last year? Did I see them mauling the Big East BCS rep in the Fiesta Bowl or was that just my imagination? Might want to think before you insert the ole foot.
It is a shame Boston College didn't play Utah. Kiwinuka would had a monster day
08-10-2005 01:36 PM
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cardtopper Offline
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Post: #9
 
Read it again Top...I know you often talk first then think later. Your point is my point exactly. Some people can't handle success and that's progbably the root of their greed. One real good year and they lost their minds. Got too big for their britches as my grandmamma used to say. One in the hands is worth two in the bush...Don't drop what you have grabbing for something bigger. Now they're doing the shuffle trying to recover. A smart conference would have held on to the LB while looking for bigger and better. :stupid:
08-10-2005 01:38 PM
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3rd Wise Man Offline
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Post: #10
 
Quote:A smart conference would have held on to the LB while looking for bigger and better. 

that's exactly what they tried to do. the liberty bowl wanted to lock them in for seven years though.

i don't think the conference is as good as the big east, but they aren't pushovers either. byu, utah, air force and colorado state average good attendance. new mexico and wyoming have picked up interest as well. for a non bcs conference, they certainly get a lot of support and it would probably be in the best interest of some of the bowls played out west to give them more of a look.

personally, i think a bowl game matching the mwc champ against the wac champ would generate more interest than matching them against the cusa champ in the liberty bowl. boise state and fresno state consistent top 25 programs as well.
08-10-2005 01:50 PM
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cardtopper Offline
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Post: #11
 
Given the landscape of College football today, the mania surrounding BCS versus non-BCS, realignment of conferences, Bowls loosing their minds,,,,,a good commissioner would have figured that a seven year contract with a solid mid-major bowl might not be a bad idea. I'm sure a BCS bid would have superseded the Liberty Bowl or the contract could have been written that way.
08-10-2005 02:05 PM
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3rd Wise Man Offline
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Post: #12
 
it's not just the commish, it's the entirely league collectively.

if you can't see why they would be hesitant to lock themselves in for

-a seven year deal
-1000 miles from most schools in the liberty bowl
-against a watered down conference usa

then i don't know why not. i don't think they made a mistake necessarily. it just didn't work out. they had all the reason in the world to want something better and still do. i think they'll get it eventually. five bowl games is a lot for an eight team conference that isn't in the bcs, and that's what they're shooting for. i'm sure they'll be able to negotiate something better for their champion within a few seasons. less than seven seasons anyway.
08-10-2005 02:13 PM
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3rd Wise Man Offline
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Quote:five bowl games is a lot for an eight team conference that isn't in the bcs

sorry. nine. forgot about tcu. but still, that's not bad.
08-10-2005 02:16 PM
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Post: #14
 
The CUSA champion participating in the LB has been ranked in the top 15 6 times. The conference has historically lent itself very well to producing a very highly ranked champion for the LB, because it has had several strong programs and several weaker ones each year (so that its champ is not heavily beat up during the season). With Marshall, USM, UTEP, Tulane, Memphis and I believe Houston, I believe strongly that is going to continue. In fact, it is why I believe CUSA will have a fair amount of success earning a BCS bid in 2006-09, because I think we'll continue to have that blend in the conference. On the other hand, the MWC's champion is most years going to get more beat up because the bottom of their conference is stronger.
08-10-2005 02:21 PM
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cardtopper Offline
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seems like you know more about the situation than me...I'm just looking at the surface. 04-bow
08-10-2005 02:24 PM
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SF Husky Offline
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Maize Wrote:
Quote:UNLV coach Mike Sanford was one of many coaches that agreed.

"There's a good chance the winner of this conference could have two losses. It will be really difficult for a team to go through this conference like Utah did last year," said Sanford, who compared the MWC to some of its rival conferences. "I believe we're above Conference USA and, personally, I think we're above the Big East."

I believe your conference only had 3 teams with winning records and Navy is still driving. :rolleyes: :laugh: 04-cheers
This conference is smoking some serious crack. MWC greater than BE? We have done this analysis like a million times and BE is always better now and before. Even without Miami and Va Tech, BE is still a much better conference top to bottom. MWC outside UTAH for one year got squat. There is no way in hell they are a better conference in terms of teams, fan support or fan interest.

Like I said many times, why bother even comparing the BE to conferences like CUSA and MWC? We need to compare ourselves to Pac-10 and other BCS conferences.

I really think programs will UL, UCONN, PItt, Cuse and WVU could all become national programs in no time. Just wait a few years and see.
08-10-2005 04:23 PM
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SF Husky Offline
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ESPN's recent conference ranking. BE is holding steady at #6 as expected. MWC is ranked #7 and #9 by two people. The guys at MWC need to kick their drug habit....fast.

<a href='http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview05/news/story?id=2130406' target='_blank'>Conference rankings</a>
08-10-2005 04:31 PM
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Lets see, the Big East has stonger and higher paying bowls and C-USA has more bowl affiliations, even with the Liberty Bowl in doubt, but the MWC considers themselves above both conferences. I'll tell you what: Cocaine is a hell of a drug!
08-10-2005 04:50 PM
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Post: #19
 
TopCoog Wrote:cardtopper...not trying to be argumentative but didn't they have the 3rd ranked team in the nation last year? Did I see them mauling the Big East BCS rep in the Fiesta Bowl or was that just my imagination? Might want to think before you insert the ole foot.
Using your logic the Big East is better then C-USA since Cincinnati went into Southern Miss building and destroyed them, the same Southern Miss considered the best football program in C-USA. I guess North Carolina has a better program then Miami. Or Louisville has a better program then Florida State (well, actually they might now). That's not even taking into account that Utah didn't face the Big East's best team Louisville.
08-10-2005 04:52 PM
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brista21 Offline
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SF Husky Wrote:ESPN's recent conference ranking. BE is holding steady at #6 as expected. MWC is ranked #7 and #9 by two people. The guys at MWC need to kick their drug habit....fast.

<a href='http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview05/news/story?id=2130406' target='_blank'>Conference rankings</a>
I have to say Ivan Maisel has it right on with the MAC at 7. The MAC is alot better than people give it credit for, Toledo, Bowling Green, and Miami OH are very good teams, Akron and Northern Illinois aren't terrible either. They might have some problems with attendance at most of the schools but the product itself is actually pretty good. CUSA at 8 is about right at the moment too. Mountain West at 9, WAC at 10, and Sun Belt at 11 are all about right as well.
08-10-2005 08:14 PM
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